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Thu Jan 11 2024
Doggystyle
Snoop Dogg
Walked around Edgewood while listening. Not as good as I'd hoped and bummed by the language and misogyny. But could have been worse.
3
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Fri Jan 12 2024
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
quiet--Sean had one of his albums. Didn't really grab me but good music to fall asleep to.
3
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Sat Jan 13 2024
Live!
Fela Kuti
loved it, esp Ye Ye De Smell. What a treat!
5
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Sun Jan 14 2024
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
enjoyed this blast from my childhood--remember checking it out. Still, not a great album. I think even then I was a little disappointed by it.
3
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Mon Jan 15 2024
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
very nostalgic! So much fun and great to hear The Lip again, especially. Good walking music too!
4
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Tue Jan 16 2024
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Enjoyed listening to this as I walked around Edgewood on MLK Jr Day. Quite nice! I have this on cassette I think. Maybe a CD too. Aged a lot better than Snoop Dogg but a better album to start with too.
4
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Wed Jan 17 2024
Orbital 2
Orbital
reminded me of an early Groove Armada but perhaps they are contemporary. Not bad but not my thing either
2
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Thu Jan 18 2024
GREY Area
Little Simz
not too interesting musically. I suppose a fresh voice but could have been more interesting.
2
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Fri Jan 19 2024
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
not my favorite album of his, but it's still a pretty good album!
3
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Sat Jan 20 2024
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
ok, typical male lead singer voice of the late 90s early 2ks, some nice incorporation of electronic music though
3
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Sun Jan 21 2024
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
good music for a hip brunch
3
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Mon Jan 22 2024
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
prefer shoot out the lights but still pretty good
3
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Tue Jan 23 2024
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
better than I thought it would be. some good guitar playing
3
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Wed Jan 24 2024
Fun House
The Stooges
great album which had some Doors-like moments. Amazing sax solo too. Really fun
5
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Thu Jan 25 2024
Lazer Guided Melodies
Spiritualized
Cowboy Junkies are rehearsing but their female singer doesn't show up, so they decide to go hang with Jesus and Mary Chain but get waylaid by Luna. Probably as good as the best of these, maybe better. Still, a little too much fade, though the first few songs got off to a good start.
4
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Copper Blue
Sugar
I wanted this to be a little better than it was, but still it was pretty good. Felt like classic American rock, in a sort of Wilco vein, if Wilco had drunk a lot of coffee and taken an enormous shit before playing and so felt lighter and a bit happier, or maybe just more satisfied. I admire their way of teasing a rhythm out of a long string of words, just wish it was all slightly more memorable.
3
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Sat Jan 27 2024
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
Great tight pop rock--hard to be both lush and tight at the same time--really good. Awful lyrics. Just awful. It doesn't help that I heard "I wanna be adored by you" as "I wanna be your dog." A rare album that would have been better, nearly, as an instrumental.
3
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Sun Jan 28 2024
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
got off to a great start but I need to finish listening to it!
4
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Tue Jan 30 2024
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
enjoyed this quite a bit, with the exception of the first song. good trance dance with a bit of the 80's spin me right round in there
3
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Wed Jan 31 2024
Brothers
The Black Keys
fun, bluesy, well done. probably should listen to it again. Nice!
4
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Thu Feb 01 2024
Arular
M.I.A.
omg I hated this so much, I'm sorry. I did listen to \"Paper Planes\" after (which I heard before but didn't realize it was her, and I do like that song), but this album felt like a teenage girl making songs in her room which were about as good as the songs I'd make in my room when I was a kid. Seriously, the cantankerous bitch in me feels she got an easy pass on that album because she's a minority and female and it was a sort of \"fresh voice\" kind of thing--I dunno. Not impressed.
1
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
odd mix of a lot of 60s trends, kind of wandered through the early Beatles up to a few sort of Mama and Papa harmonies and then some wanky Doors keyboards and I never did figure out the language of most of the lyrics. I got the French and a few English lines, but is this Portuguese? Don't know; don't care; still a fun, if weird--dare I say mutant?--listen.
4
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Sat Feb 03 2024
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Quite nice. Not my favorite of theirs (looking at you "almost cut my hair") but still good
3
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Sun Feb 04 2024
I See A Darkness
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
mellow but with an edge. prefer this sort of style to Nick Drake, if that's even a compare. not sure I need to hear any more though
4
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Mon Feb 05 2024
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
she shines brightest on Do Re Mi and You Don't Own Me. Otherwise, as a debut album, I think she's still a work in progress (I miss you Preacher Man!)
3
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Tue Feb 06 2024
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
Must be an early album because it's not all that great. There are some wonderful moments where you can see what could be--thinking of the language in the first song about the dirty ground and the cute song about being friends (did I hear that in Napoleon Dynamite?) as well as a few other flashes of genius. Outside of those moments, it felt as if they were still trying on genres, riffs, playing with volume, borrowing sounds--none of this bad, just not yet a coherent unique sound. At times the plodding rhymes matched the plodding drums to form a sort of unfortunate march.
3
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Wed Feb 07 2024
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
Loved this, especially all the samples or just references to other songs (i.e. the way that guy said "leavin'" a few times and you knew he was thinking of "Leaving on a Jet Plane", and am I right in that at some point they referenced Lou Brock?) Very cool. I really enjoyed this.
4
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Thu Feb 08 2024
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
Great blues, just not quite as soulful as my taste--reminds me of Robert Cray Band: really proficient with a slightly faster and smoother sound than I like in my blues (or rock).
4
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Fri Feb 09 2024
Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Really liked this. So much fun! A little bit all over the place but still rocking where it needed to be.
4
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Sat Feb 10 2024
Tidal
Fiona Apple
I hadn't heard this before but did recognize a few songs. She's a great songwriter, and the music was tight. What kept tripping me up was her voice--she sounded like she was straining a lot to stay within her range and this ended up limiting the songs and the music. Maybe she needs a vocal coach or maybe she's like Dylan in that some of her songs would be best performed by someone who has a better range.
3
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Sun Feb 11 2024
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
Classic album with one side of greatness and the other side of not as great. Nice to hear the distinctive early Beatles sound again!
4
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Mon Feb 12 2024
Fragile
Yes
part of me wants to give this 5 stars because I believe they achieved their intention with this album: it's well executed, coherent, and consistent. The other part of me wants to give it 0 stars because I so much do not care for this type of music. I have no idea why anyone would listen to it. I can't imagine dancing to it and I don't think it's interesting enough to listen to on its own, and it's not ambient enough to be background. I'll cop out and give it a 3.
3
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Tue Feb 13 2024
2112
Rush
This was much less interesting than I wanted it to be. I didn't follow the rock opera as closely as perhaps I should have, and the songs on the second side seemed lame. I'm sorry, Rush-ians.
2
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Wed Feb 14 2024
Slayed?
Slade
Wow, I enjoyed this WAY more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because I've had prog rock for the past two albums. Definitely dated and definitely a lot of fun. This is an album you play when you're really fucked up and can't find your Deep Purple. Is it me or was there a Talking Heads Psycho Killer vibe to "I won't let it 'appen again"? Chef's kiss to the bangs on shirtless dude on the cover.
4
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Frank
Amy Winehouse
This really pissed me off. I'm tired of 1001 albums recommending a crappy first album when there are terrific later albums. Yet here we are. In Frank, Ms. Winehouse has yet to find her groove though there are glimmers of greatness, especially in the side B songs, such as "What is it about men." Her songwriting skills are as immature as her singing, but she will eventually (though not here) get there. The music is equally underwhelming; I can practically feel the musicians wanting to bust out of their sad little cage.
2
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
This is why I'm doing this project. Loved it and I never would have thought I'd love a Waylon Jennings album. Fantastic in every respect.
5
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Sat Feb 17 2024
All Directions
The Temptations
"Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is amazing, and there are some other good songs. "Run Charlie Run" is pretty hard to listen to. Torn on whether this is a 3 or a 4 by virtue of "Rolling Stone"
3
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Sun Feb 18 2024
Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus
Spirit
I'm afraid this one was lost on me. I didn't actively hate it though.
2
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Mon Feb 19 2024
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
Reminded me a little of Nina Simone. Haunting but not my vibe.
2
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
enjoyed this expertly subdued jazz. For me, no particular standout song, I just liked how the entire album felt like a bunch of great musicians were chilling, having a mellow time.
4
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Wed Feb 21 2024
Picture Book
Simply Red
Album got off to a fun groove but then the soul vibe sort of thinned out, redeemed slightly by a nice cover of "Heaven" only to get destroyed by this horrible song Jericho. Now on the second side and I feel as if every song sounds like it was part of a Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, though I do recognize the "holding on" song. "Red Box" approaches "Jericho" in awfulness in terms of lyrics, which is too bad because they can groove.
2
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Thu Feb 22 2024
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
As much as I appreciate her style and substance, I'm just not a big fan of her music. I wouldn't turn it off, but I'm not sure how much I'd turn it on either.
3
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Fri Feb 23 2024
Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I'm giving this a 4 because I appreciate the attempt, and it made me laugh, and it didn't last all that long. Also because I suspect if I were on acid it might have blown my mind.
4
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Sat Feb 24 2024
Aja
Steely Dan
I'm not a Steely Dan fan yet somehow I recognized nearly every song on this album, so I've got to give them credit for sneaking their way into the vernacular.
4
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Sun Feb 25 2024
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
Amazing album which still sounds fresh, though I'll admit to never really liking "Black Angel's Death Song" all that much. But every other song is stellar and the guitars, the way it was recorded, and Nico's voice add so much texture and dimension--just superlative.
5
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Mon Feb 26 2024
Whatever
Aimee Mann
I enjoyed her lyrics more than I enjoyed the music or her voice--not that there was anything really wrong with those, but they didn't stand out as much as her lyrics where are really good. I'm not sure I would listen to this again, and no one song really stood out to me, though I have to give her credit for writing a song about Jacob Marley.
3
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Tue Feb 27 2024
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
Aged much better than I expected!
4
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Debut
Björk
What a strong debut! The music is terrific throughout; loved the drums on the first two songs especially and the layered sound in Venus as a Boy. Only weakness to me is her singing style and, at times, her voice (esp in Like Someone in Love)--I love the power of her voice just wish sometimes she worked more with the flow of the music rather than against it, and occasionally she doesn't hit her note.
4
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Thu Feb 29 2024
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
shine on you crazy diamond indeed.
5
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Chelsea Girl
Nico
The French have an expression "belle laide" which refers to a woman who is both beautiful and ugly and this is how I feel about her singing. I have no idea why this album is on this list. I bet Lenny Bruce would have laughed his ass off if he'd heard that eulogy.
2
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Sat Mar 02 2024
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
Instant party. God bless you.
5
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Sun Mar 03 2024
Blackstar
David Bowie
1
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Mon Mar 04 2024
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
This just isn't my cup of tea, or cup of Cuban coffee. I remember it made a huge impact when it came out!
3
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Tue Mar 05 2024
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
Probably my most listened-to Dylan album despite it having Rainy Day Woman, a song I'm happy to never hear again. But that's not Dylan's fault! With songs like Visions of Joanna, Sad-Eyed Lady, Sooner or Later, I Want You, and Stuck Inside of Mobile, it's easy to see why Dylan got a Nobel Prize. I'm giving this one a 5 due to the greatness of the great songs, though it does have a few weak spots.
5
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Wed Mar 06 2024
S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
Wow, this was a treat. I can't believe this was my first listen. I'm sorry, Pretty Things, that you were so ahead of your time. I wonder how much they influenced the Beatles? or maybe vice versa. Regardless, I really enjoyed it.
4
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Fri Mar 08 2024
A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
Really enjoyed this and not just because my 6th grade science teacher, Phil Everly, was their cousin. Their version of Love Hurts is esp great, though nothing can rival the Parsons / Harris version. I also like Lucille a lot--perhaps a tip of the hat to Pretty Woman?--not sure of the chronology. Only the first song and the album titled seemed dated to me.
4
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Sat Mar 09 2024
Smash
The Offspring
One of reasons I'm enjoying this project is to learn, finally, who sang that song I hated. Also, now I realize the source of that male lead singer sound I associate with the 90s--this dude. Along with the singer in Weezer. They should be put in an arena and whine to the death.
I am grateful that the lyrics to "Smash" did not include the line I heard as "I'm not a tranny asshole, I don't give a fuck." And I did actually enjoy the song "Gotta Get Away," and hearing the other songs I recognized was sort of fun.
3
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Sun Mar 10 2024
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
Nice recording with good musicians but I just never got that into it
3
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me.
1
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Tue Mar 12 2024
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
better than I thought it would be. some good guitar.
3
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
A lot going on--I like Kind of Blue more.
3
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Thu Mar 14 2024
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
What a privilege to hear this record. I don't know Spanish so quite a bit flew over my head but the music is fantastic and I love the little nods to different genres, e.g. the bit of disco in the first song, and later the West Side Story nod, as well as the big band bits. These guys are large and in charge!
5
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Fri Mar 15 2024
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
probably one of my most-listened to albums of all time.
5
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Sat Mar 16 2024
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
enjoyed but wasn't blown away by this
4
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Sun Mar 17 2024
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
I did not enjoy this as much as I did "Aja." None of the songs seemed as good to me as the best on Aja, and I didn't get into the backup chorus sound.
3
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Mon Mar 18 2024
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
Got off to a great start with lots of references to the amazing It Takes a Nation of Millions... but then it didn't deliver much beyond a reworking of their earlier stuff. I enjoyed it but it's not great the way A Nation of Millions is.
3
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Tue Mar 19 2024
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
I'd kind of forgotten about the Isley Brothers until I heard this--so much fun. I love the guitars and the extended version of Summer Breeze.
4
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
I've always loved Deceptacon but never listened to this album before. Lots of fun energy and smart lyrics make it entertaining though overall it feels a little more Hot Topic than hot music.
4
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Thu Mar 21 2024
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
I didn't have much of a reaction to this--I was working as I listened to it and it was pleasant and unobtrusive and there were only a few minutes where I stopped to listen again or to start over--so not much of an impact on me.
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Dookie
Green Day
I kept expecting them to break into the theme song from "Friends"
3
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Sat Mar 23 2024
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
I remember checking this album out from the public library when I was a kid and even then I was a little disappointed by it
3
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Sun Mar 24 2024
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
Enjoyed this so much more than I expected to. Fun shades of early rock and blues, only regret is the "singing dolphin" style of the voices.
4
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Django Django
Django Django
listened to the whole album but it never interested me
2
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Tue Mar 26 2024
Moon Safari
Air
never listened to Air before and enjoyed the vibe. I think this would be a great album to listen to while driving at night.
4
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Wed Mar 27 2024
Justified
Justin Timberlake
I thought this would be a lot better. I mean, I thought I probably wouldn't like it but I had no idea it would be this bad.
1
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Thu Mar 28 2024
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
I enjoyed it but it didn't grab my attention too often. If it came on the radio, I would have listened to it, wondered who it was, thought fondly of it, and then probably never listened again.
3
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Fri Mar 29 2024
Scum
Napalm Death
Wow that was a thing. And it could have been worse. It could have been longer. And, actually, worse.
2
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Sat Mar 30 2024
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, but I wish her voice had a little more flexibility.
3
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Sun Mar 31 2024
Back to Basics
Christina Aguilera
great voice wish she had better taste
3
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Mon Apr 01 2024
Nick Of Time
Bonnie Raitt
not exactly to my taste but solid album. I owned this in the early 90s during a period where I owned only a boom box and a few cassettes and this was one of them so I listened to it a lot more than I would have otherwise.
4
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Tue Apr 02 2024
The Bends
Radiohead
it was fine; none of Radiohead so far has ever gotten my attention. I didn't like the way they recorded it (or maybe it's my headphones?)--sounded deliberately hissy and fuzzy to me.
3
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Wed Apr 03 2024
Hysteria
Def Leppard
occasionally it was better than I expected
2
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Fri Apr 05 2024
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
got off to a rough start, esp with the Jungle song but picked up with some nice jazz tones toward the end.
3
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Sat Apr 06 2024
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Giving it a 4 mostly on the strength of Get It On which is such a great song. The other songs weren't up to that level but some weren't too bad
4
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Sun Apr 07 2024
The Man Who
Travis
I'd never heard of them before. Like a proto-coldplay. I kept hoping they would break into a really good song--they always seemed on the verge but then never quite there.
3
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Mon Apr 08 2024
Lam Toro
Baaba Maal
feel like a location scout reviewing this: not something I would listen to regularly but rather use strategically for atmosphere or in a particular setting.
3
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Tue Apr 09 2024
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Love, I can see this becoming one of my car cds where I just listen to it obsessively for a year or two. Much better than I'd thought it would be.
5
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Wed Apr 10 2024
The College Dropout
Kanye West
no words
2
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Thu Apr 11 2024
Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello
Elvis has this thing where he decides if he just sings things in certain ways they're automatically melodic and they just aren't. Pony St. is an example of this but he does this so much that I wonder if maybe the songs of Elvis I actually do like are accidents. Perhaps I don't really like Elvis, just the few "off" songs that happen to match my taste.
This is my first time listening to this album and I read "kinder murder" with a German understanding of "kinder" and I'm a little bummed that the song isn't about killing kids.
Now he's on 13th steps and I'm quite happy. This is the Elvis I like, nay, love. Thank you, Elvis!
This is hell is pretty funny; Just About Glad and All the Rage are also good.
3
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Fri Apr 12 2024
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
my ex used to listen to this album and so I've already paid my dues. I'm sure it's fine if only I could remember it....
3
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Sat Apr 13 2024
1984
Van Halen
lots of fun though not too my taste. Guitar's great and I love the bouncy drums.
4
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Sun Apr 14 2024
Youth And Young Manhood
Kings of Leon
Never listened to them before and really liked their style and sound. I'll be listening to this one again.
4
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Mon Apr 15 2024
American Pie
Don McLean
hadn't listened to this album in decades--used to check it out from the library when I was a kid. Enjoyed the whole thing, though, Vincent and American Pie are clearly the best of the bunch.
4
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Tue Apr 16 2024
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
So disappointed. It's like he channeled Rex Harrison and just talked his way through it.
2
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Wed Apr 17 2024
Henry's Dream
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
I don't really even like the Nick Cave songs that I pretend to like and none of them were on this album so what's a girl to do? I'm giving him a 3 because at least it was well-executed.
3
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Thu Apr 18 2024
Truth And Soul
Fishbone
omg I enjoyed this so much. Lots of fun funk, good guitar, humor in a few lyrics, and always rocking.
4
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Fri Apr 19 2024
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
The Kinks
I usually listen to the Kink Kronikles which are great but this was a wonderful reminder of what you miss when you listen to a compilation. Great album with the usual mix of highs and low but they stay on theme and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
4
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Sat Apr 20 2024
Elephant
The White Stripes
terrific--liked this album much more than the other white stripes on the list.
4
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Sun Apr 21 2024
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
Fantastic album that blew my mind the first time and still does. Manic depression is one of my favorite Hendrix songs.
5
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Mon Apr 22 2024
Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys
this was fine. Occasionally the lyrics interested me, occasionally the music got my attention, but mostly it sort of ran in the background.
3
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Tue Apr 23 2024
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
This was more rocking than I expected and I really liked it. I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that I couldn't understand the lyrics.
4
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Wed Apr 24 2024
Pelican West
Haircut 100
this album reminded me of how hard it is to make good pop music
3
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Thu Apr 25 2024
Crocodiles
Echo And The Bunnymen
I remember buying this album when it first came out and not liking it all that much. The lead singer's voice is gorgeous but the songs didn't grab me, with the exception of "Rescue."
3
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Tigermilk
Belle & Sebastian
not my thing
2
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Sat Apr 27 2024
OK Computer
Radiohead
dense, lush, layered, probably missed a lot of the references but this album seems a lot more interesting than the other two albums by them I've heard (The Bends and Hail to the Thief). Worthy of a few more plays!
4